The Unknown Tom Riddle
by Minerva1
Summary: P.G. for very minor language and dark themes. 16-year-old Tom Riddle had everything going his way- he was brilliant, popular, had two great best friends and the perfect girlfriend. But then...
1. Chapter 1: Hope...

a/n: Hey everyone! Okay, this is really weird, but it just occurred to me, so read it. I'd appreciate it! It's not that bad, but it's not super-funny or anything, but I think you'll enjoy it. Haters of Voldie: don't worry, this isn't about Voldemort, it's about Tom Riddle before he was Voldie, so please, give it a chance! And also, please forgive my corny-ness.. it's a little bit cheesy during the phone call part, but no prob, right? luv y'all! REVIEW!  
  
Chapter 1  
  
6:30 a.m., August 25, 1949  
  
"Beep! Beep! Beeeeeeeep!" screamed the alarm clock obnoxiously. "Beeeeeeeeeeep!"  
  
16-year-old Tom Riddle rolled over, muttering, "Shut up.... alarm... work of the Devil, alarms..." and he slammed his fist down on the SNOOZE button, only to turn back around and close his eyes again. He wanted to return to his dream, it had been quite lovely...  
  
The door creaked open and a tiny voice made him snap awake once again: "Tom? Tommy? Are you awake?" the little girl murmured, pushing back her little dark curls and straightening her pink fuzzy nightgown for her big brother, "Tom?"  
  
"Huh? Wh...what, Jen?" Tom grunted.  
  
"Please wake up, Tommy, it's almost six O'clock! If father finds you in bed.. or me, here...."  
  
"Yeah, okay, okay, thanks, hun-" Tom sat up, flicked on the light- switch, and rubbed his eyes as he swung his long legs out of the tiny cot.  
  
"Oh, and Tom?" the little girl murmured.  
  
"Yes, Jen?"  
  
"Happy Birthday!" she whispered, giggling, and hurried out of the tiny room, shutting the door quietly and carefully behind her. She's a sweet girl, Tom thought, I only hope Father doesn't catch her helping me out like this-  
  
He shuddered, not wanting to think what might happen if he did find out. Then it hit Tom what she had said- Happy Birthday? Who's- oh! Indeed it was his Birthday, he himself had almost forgotten. He'd be willing to bet 100 pounds that little Jennifer would be the only one who'd remember that today- No, no, not pounds, he mentally corrected himself, I've gotta start thinking in Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts, now that school's gonna be starting in a week!  
  
He grinned broadly, thinking about returning to school. To his many friends, and the wizarding world he needed so much... and his girlfriend, Lana. Lana! How he missed her, more than any of the others...  
  
He began to get dressed out of his pink bunny-wabbit PJs [a/n: sorry about that everyone, just had to add some of Tom's true personality in there] into some jeans and a T-shirt, as he thought about his situation. It wasn't fair that every summer he had to come be shut up in one little room of this huge house full of muggles, forced to sit and work behind closed windows, so that no one of Little Hangleton would know that he lived here... his own father, who had named Tom for himself, despised him so much that he couldn't let anyone of the village know Tom existed. Oh, well, Tom thought, at least he had somewhere to go over the summer. He just wished that he could at least have access to his owl, so that he could contact his friends, or even access to the phone- one his of his best friends Jack Norton lived in a muggle residence as well, then at least he could talk to one of his friends. But now he was all alone, with only little Jennifer to keep him company, and she wasn't much company because she wasn't even supposed to know that he was in the house, for fear she would tell the rest of the town. So even his friendship with his little sister had to be kept secret, and so so he had nothing, and no one. He quickly ran a brush though his long-ish dark hair, and scrambled out of the room to report to his father.  
  
Mr. Thomas Riddle sat up in bed, staring at the clock. 6:33 a.m. How dare his son be late! He admitted to himself that he was glad his son wasn't always punctual like he sometimes hoped, because even now, he couldn't tingk of anything to tell Ton when he came into the room. What more work was there to do? He only made his son do this because he meeded busy-work. Mr. Riddle had servants to do the work the rest of the year. But everything was done, now... there was no more carpentry to be done, nothing more to fix, no help Mr. Riddle needed with his accounting job... there wasn't even any more cooking to do, now that their regular chef had returned from vacation. He could send him out to do yard work... what was he thinking? Tom, out in the YARD, in plain sight? He couldn't risk that! Neighbors might see! And besides, they had Frank Rice for stuff like that. So, what to tell that annoying boy that was his son? Mr. Riddle thought it was very clear why he disliked his son:  
  
For one, Tom didn't look anything like him (even more aggravating, his son had always looked better than him, for Tom was tall, dark and handsome, and he was short and fat, with a smashed-in looking face).  
  
He didn't act anything like him (Tom was fun-loving and kind, but his father was serious and strict).  
  
Tom was smarter than Mr. Riddle, and they both knew it.  
  
But what Mr. Riddle hated most about his son was that he was magical. He was born of his first wife, who had died in childbirth, supposedly. Mr. Riddle also hated his other son, James, who was of his 2nd wife. It was a good thing she had left with James before Mr. Riddle discovered she was magical as well... And he could barely stand his little daughter Jennifer, (born of his third wife) even though she was non- magical, because the truth was he had always wanted a son who could become his rightful heir, and here he was with two duds and a girl. [A/N: Alright girls, no bitterness about this last comment, it's just the sexist way in which Mr. Riddle thinks...] He had given up trying to marry after his third wife had died of malaria a few years back, so now he had to live here with his elderly parents and his little daughter. And, of course, that other one, Tom, who came to stay with them over the summers... of course, that was going to change next year: he had already arranged for a non-magical orphanage to take him in next summer. But for now he was stuck with the boy, so he set him to work, inside the house, of course, couldn't have the nosy neighbors noticing another human in the house.  
  
There was a quiet knock on the door.  
  
"Come in," he called. In stepped young Tom.  
  
"'Morning, Father, what would you like me to-"  
  
"Shut up, I'm thinking," ordered his father. "And it's not father, it's SIR!"  
  
"Oh, yeah, sorry...sir."  
  
What needed doing? Nothing!  
  
"Sir, I finished fixing the old table yesterday, and there doesn't seem to be anything else-"  
  
"I'LL tell YOU what I want done, hear?"  
  
"Oh, yes, sorry sir."  
  
"Why don't you just... go... jump off a bridge or something."  
  
"Oh, yes, sir... what?"  
  
"You heard me, now get out of my sight."  
  
"Okay, thanks, sir!"  
  
Tom hurried out of his father's room, and back to his little dark one. He was free for a day! Possibly until the next week, when school started! Unless his father thought of more work for him to do, that is. Tom glared down at the little calendar next to the bed, the sudden and momentary happiness freedom had brought, gone. It was August 25th, his 16th birthday, and look where he was! His own father practically ordered him to jump off a bridge, far from wishing him a happy 16th. He lay back on his bed, grabbed a book from the rickety table next to him, and sighed.  
  
A few hours later, he heard the door of his "room" slam open with a thunk. He looked up from the novel to see his father standing there, looking absolutely furious.  
  
"HOW- DARE- YOU- GIVE- THIS- PHONE- NUMBER- TO- ANYONE?!?!?!"  
  
"W-what do you mean, Dad? I didn't…" Had someone called? he though hopefully.  
  
"You know what I mean! If you didn't, then why is there a young lady on the phone down there asking for you?"  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
"How am I supposed to know? It's Elena, or something."  
  
"Lana!"  
  
"You know her?"  
  
"Can I talk to her?" Tom closed his eyes and held his breath, but he thought it was in vein…  
  
Mr. Riddle sighed. "I guess you have to-"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"She threatened me! When I said there was no one here under the name of Tom Marvolo Riddle, she said knew you were there, and if I didn't give you the phone, she'd call the neighbors and tell them you were here-"  
  
Tom tried his best to look shocked, but the real reason his hand flew up to cover his mouth was to hide his sniggers. That unmistakably sounded like Lana... she certainly was not shy.  
  
"Well, don't just sit there, get on the phone."  
  
"Uh, thanks!" He jumped off the bed and rushed past his father in the doorway for the phone.  
  
"Oh, and Tom?"  
  
He turned around.  
  
"Don't look so excited. You're gonna get it after this-"  
  
Tom continued toward the phone. He didn't doubt that- but it was worth whatever his father did to him just to have a chance to talk to Lana. He picked up the receiver, and his father stormed out of the room.  
  
"Hello, Lana?" Tom said.  
  
"Tom! Tom Tom Tom!" screamed the girl on the other side.  
  
"Lana!" Tom grinned. "It's so good to hear your voice."  
  
"You too! You have no idea how hard it was to get your number-"  
  
"How did you?"  
  
"Looked up every Riddle in the English country!"  
  
"You are so insane-"  
  
"Happy Birthday!!"  
  
"Er, thanks. You remembered."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I miss you."  
  
"You too, more than you know, Tom... I can't stand this, with you locked up there-"  
  
"It's okay, it's not that big of a deal, you know."  
  
"No, Tom, it is! Have you even talked to anyone else this whole summer?"  
  
"Well, no-"  
  
"Oh, yeah, everyone says hi, then."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Joe, and Becca."  
  
"Ok, thanks. Tell them hi for me, and that I'll see them next week!"  
  
"Tom, what're you gonna do about Diagon Alley? You know, school supplies, etc.-"  
  
"Oh, that's taken care of, I just told Dad that school starts on August 31st, not September 1st, so I get to leave this place early. I'll just flag down the Knight Bus, and get over to Diagon Alley."  
  
"Let's meet there!"  
  
"Okay-"  
  
"And I'll get Joe and Becca and the others to meet us, too."  
  
"Thanks! Sounds good!"  
  
"How are you getting to King's Cross?"  
  
"Er..."  
  
"We'll drive you."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"My parents! You can come over and stay at my house that night...No, wait. I doubt my folks would like that."  
  
"That's okay, I'll just-"  
  
"No, I'll call Joe. I bet you could stay with him for a night."  
  
"Sure, thanks!"  
  
"Oooh, I gotta catch you up on the gossip around here-"  
  
"TOOOOM! GET OFF THE PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Uh, Lana?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I gotta go."  
  
"Okay. I can't wait to see you!"  
  
"Me too. Thanks for calling..."  
  
"Sure. No prob. Miss you."  
  
"You too."  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Bye." Tom set the phone gently down on the receiver. I love you, he thought, and sighing, he returned to his room to await his punishment.  
  
  
  
Thanks for reading this! You all rock! Now, go forth and REVIEW!!! Gotta review if you want more... :Þ 


	2. 2- Joe

                **hola again... you wanted more, so here it is! ... thanks for reviewing!!!! for those who thought the first chapter resembled how Uncle Vernon treats Harry, etc., nice job! It was supposed to. and hopefully you'll be able to see more of the parallels later... oh, and this chapter's really kinda cheesy at first, so sorry about that...**

**Chapter 2**

                The punishment wasn't _that_ bad. Mr. Riddle was obviously shaken by Lana's threatening to tell the neighbors about Tom, and so he neglected to do anything as terrible as he might've... instead, he just made Tom stay in his room for the remaining week until the 30th of August. When the day came, Tom woke up early... and that means even earlier than the usual 6:30, and put on his nicest pair of jeans and shirt, after taking a shower and styling his hair, of course. [**a/n: does that strike anyone as hilarious that Voldemort-to-be cares anything about his hair? haha**] Little Jenni came in at just the right time, of course, but there was no need to wake Tom up this morning, he had already made his bed, folded his special bunny pajamas and packed them in his trunk along with the rest of his clothes, which were very few, and was ready to go. 

                "Tom," whispered Jennifer slowly.

                "Yeah? What's wrong, hunny?" For he could see tears in her eyes. 

                "Tom, you're leaving, and... and I won't see you again." And she burst into quiet tears. 

                "Oh, Jen, of course you will!" Tom comforted, pulling her in for a hug. "What are you talkin' about? Next summer, okay?" 

                "No, no, you don't understand!" 

                "What?"

                "Well, *sniff*, you're not... you're not coming back.. next summer."

                "Why not?"

                "Cuz... cuz I heard Daddy talking to Gramma about how he had arranged for you to go to an orphanage!" 

                "An... an orphanage?" 

                "Yeah! That's what he said, Tommy!" 

                "Oh, Jen, don't worry, okay?" murmured Tom, trying to keep his voice steady, but it was difficult, for he felt close to tears, and he was shocked that he was being sent away. 

                "Okay, Tommy, but will you write me?" 

                "Write you? I guess... sure. Sure, that's what I'll do, okay? Don't you worry."

                "And Tom?" 

                "What?"

                "Will you... will you tell James hello for me?" 

                "James?" 

                "Our brother."

                "Yeah, I know, but-"

                "I know you don't like him very much, but you should give him a chance. You're just jealous, you know."

                "I am? Of James? He's only 4 years old!"

                "Yes, silly, but you're jealous that he has a good home and you don't, and you know it." 

                "You know what, Jen, you're right. Thank you. But how will I say hi to him? He won't be at school for another... 7 years! I'll be out of school by then, miss crazy girl!"

                "Can't you owl him or something?" 

                "Owl? How did you know about that?" 

                A faint smile played upon her thin little lips through the tears. "You... you have lots of books about stuff like that in here!" 

                "You've been looking through my room?" 

                "Sorry," she said, her smile fading. 

                "Oh, I'm just kidding, it's okay." 

                "I'm going to miss you."

                "You too."

                She sniffed again and wiped her eyes on her nightgown. "I love you, Tommy." 

                "I love you too, Jenni." He gave her one more squeeze, walked her back to her room, and tucked her in. He then scribbled a note for his father which he left outside his room, grabbed a piece of toast from the kitchen without the cook seeing him (she didn't even know he existed either, and they lived in the same house), and slid out the door. It was a clear morning, and the birds chirped loudly in the trees, but that was the only sound to be heard, and Tom was glad of it. He hadn't even breathed fresh air the whole summer, so now he practically skipped down the road, feeling the warm air against his face. He swooped down to pick a pretty, cheering rose from the rose bush of Dot McFather's yard, and poked it into a little hole in his backpack. The clean air cleared his mind, and he remembered with a start that the Knight Bus only came at _night_. What was he to do now? He pulled his wand out of his pocket, and waved it around a bit. No _Day_ buses pulled up next to him, he discovered, so he shoved it back into his jeans and considered... he could owl somebody, but seeing as his owl was in the Hogwarts owlery (where it could be taken care of over the summer) that idea was pretty useless. There was no bus, and no way he could reach any of his friends. _Oh well_, he thought, _no problem, guess I'll just have to break a few rules and apparate. _And with that he disappeared into the warm air, thanking God it was so early so that no one could see. 

                He reappeared skillfully right inside the Leaky Cauldron. "Hey, Tom!" he greeted the young bartender. 

                "Hey, Tom," he laughed back. "Nice to see you! What brings you here... wait, wait, did you just... apparate?"

                "Oh, yeah, sorry, had to get here somehow." 

                "Um, right. You shouldn't know how to do that at your age! You better watch where you do that, don't wanna get in trouble. Anyway, need a room?" 

                "Yes please, just for one night, though." 

                "Sure." Tom Riddle paid, Tom the bartender showed him his room, and Tom Riddle set out into Diagon Alley for some food. 

                As he sat outside the ice-cream parlor, eating a chocolate sundae and getting some color (which was hardly possible with his fair skin), he thought. He had the rest of the day (it was 7:30) to finish up homework, go to Gringotts,  and prepare what he had. He would be meeting Joe, Rebecca, and Lana the next day here, and they would all buy school supplies together. He pulled his school books out of his backpack, spread them around the table, and got to work, but he was only a few minutes into his History of Magic report when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked around to see a blond, tan boy his age standing next to him. 

                "Joe!" cried Tom, "You're here!" He jumped up to look at his best friend. "And you're tan! Where you been?" 

                "Hey, Tom! Jamaica. Awesome." 

                Tom sat back down and pulled out the seat next to him, and Joe sat. 

                "What're you doing here?" asked Tom happily. 

                "Knew you'd be here as early as you could get away, so I thought I'd give you some company for a day or two 'fore school. You're coming to stay with us tomorrow night, right?" 

                "If that's okay!" 

                "Sure." 

                "Thanks, Joe. And thanks for coming." 

                "Any time. Tough summer again?" 

                Tom hesitated. He really hated burdening others with his personal affairs. He'd had to be told countless times by Joe and Becca and Lana that that's what friends were for, but he still didn't believe it. 

                "Yeah, I guess you could say that-" 

                "Well, we need to get you out of there!" 

                "Hey, I'm here, right? For a whole school year! Don't worry about it!" 

                "Tom, really. Where're you going next summer?" 

                Again Tom hesitated. This was even worse news. "Um, I... an orphanage, I guess." 

                Joe practically knocked over the table standing up, enraged. "WHAT? You can't go to an _orphanage_! It's okay! You can stay with my family! Or Becca's! Why are you making this harder on yourself?" 

                "Joe, sit down!" muttered Tom, "People are staring." He did so. "Why are _you_ making this harder on me? It's not all that bad! I can't go with you-" 

                "Why not? It's fine!" 

                "Well..." 

                "Think about it."

                "Thanks for the offer." 

                "So the old man's just too much?" 

                Tom shook his head. "He's... sending me there. Doesn't know I know yet, though. Suppose he'll send a letter to Dumbledore informing him where I should be sent after Hogwarts is over."

                Joe sat in shock for a moment, staring at the table. Then he shook his head, as if to clear it. "Well, enough of that! History of Magic report?" He poked the sheet Tom was writing on. 

                "Oh, yeah," said Tom, grateful for the change in subjects. 

                "Hey, I'll join you. Let me go get some ice-cream too, hold on." 

                So with sundaes and homework spread across the table, the boys worked and caught up on the talk until nightfall, then returned to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner and bed. 

                **Thanks for reading! Sorry it took me so long to get this up! I'll get chapter 3 up as soon as possible... Review! Luv ya'll!**


	3. 3- Love and Frustration

                **Sorry these take me so long to write, it's definitely the hardest story I've ever worked on, no joke. Difficult perspective. Thanks for the patience, and thanks for reviewing, peeps, u all rock. read! enjoy! review! **

Chapter 3

                Tom and Joe woke the next morning to sunlight streaming across their bedsheets (actually, sleeping bag for Joe, he was camped out on Tom's floor to save from renting his own room for the night). They got ready for the day and were leaving their room when Tom took a glance at himself in the mirror. 

                "Lookin' good!" said the mirror. Tom and Joe laughed. 

                "I better," said Tom, "I'm seein' my girlfriend today!" 

                "Oh, that's soooo cute," exclaimed the mirror sarcastically. 

                "Shut up," chuckled Tom as Joe tried not to fall over from laughing. They headed down for a quick breakfast and out into the Alley to wait for Lana and Becca. It was a glorious Sunday morning, perfect for the last day of summer holidays. They sat at an outdoor table to wait. 

                Becca came first. She appeared from the brick wall/entrance. Tom and Joe ran to greet her, embracing and smiling and chatting about their summers. Becca was a small, skinny girl with long brown hair and big, brown, loving eyes. It was impossible not to like her when you saw her, and certainly no different when you were best friends with her. 

                And then came Lana. She came through the wall like a dream into reality, or so Tom liked to put it in his hopelessly romanticly poetic head. She was tall and slim, with long, flowing, waving blond hair, sparkling, hypnotizing blue eyes, and a fair complexion. She ran to Tom and embraced him, and he took her into his arms happily. She stood back a little, moved his hair back out of his face with her fingers, and kissed him. 

                "PLEASE!" Joe and Becca shouted, hands over their eyes, "No P.D.A.s!!!! Please! Sickness!" Lana and Tom laughed, and walked, Tom with his arm around her, over to a table where they all took their seats. 

                "Tom!" gasped Lana, "It's so so so so good to see you!" 

                "You too," said Tom, breathless with happiness. _How did you become so lucky? _he asked himself _Where else could you hope to be than here in Diagon Alley with your two best friends and the most perfect girlfriend on Earth!? _ 

                They all ordered drinks and chatted about the gossip of the summer, then went shopping. First to Gringotts, where again Tom considered his luck- he had all the money he'd ever want or need here, left to him by his mother, thankfully protected from his greedy father. They all took some from their banks and headed off for books, supplies, sweets, even a few tricks from Zonko's for Joe and Tom. All in all the day went perfectly, the weather stayed fine, they got everything they needed, and enjoyed a delicious dinner together before Tom headed home with Joe for the night. 

                "Tom," Joe murmurred, peering over the edge of his bed at Tom who lay in a sleeping bag on the floor, "You're still not asleep.  It's..." he checked his clock, "1:47 in the morning. You've got like 4 or 5 hours til you have to wake up again. What's wrong?" 

                Tom didn't break his wide-eyed gaze at the ceiling as he replied, "Not a thing.  Not a single bloody thing, Joe." 

                Joe laughed. "Go to sleep, Tom." 

                "I can't.  I know I spent a whole summer without her, and yet..." 

                "Yes?" 

                "And yet, it's like it hurts more every second to be away even for tonight." 

                "Tom, your mushy love stuff is grossing me out." 

                "Oh, you were the same way when you were dating Rachel. Don't deny it." 

                "Maybe, but not quite so mushy!" 

                "That's cuz you're not quite so poetic, Joe, that's your fault." 

                "I'd say it's yours, pal." 

                "Perhaps. But I miss her." 

                "Tom, I don't know if that's healthy! Even when you're at Hogwarts and see eachother every second of every day, you will still be apart at night... I hope." He laughed. "You've just gotta get used to it." 

                Tom rolled over, frowning. "I know, Joe, I know." 

                "But I have to admit-" 

                "Hm?" 

                "You've got the hottest girlfriend in the 6th year." 

                "I'm grateful for your interest, Joe, but-" 

                "I'm just kidding, she's yours, don't worry." 

                "I know. Joe?" 

                "Hm?" 

                "We've been together for 5 long years, Joe." 

                "Us?" 

                "No, dope, Lana and I." 

                "Again, I'm just kidding. So?" 

                "Joe, you're my best friend-" 

                "So tell me." 

                "I want to marry her, Joe!" 

                "Wow, big surprise." 

                "What do you mean?" 

                "Every student and teacher at Hogwarts knows _that."_

                "Really?" 

                "As if you two couldn't be more obvious about it. But, Tom, you're... well, you're... that is to say you're... well, you're only 16, Tom." 

                "I know.  People get married at 16 all the time." 

                "About a hundred years ago." 

                "Nah, it's legal now, though." 

                "In some circumstances," Joe murmurred quietly. 

                "Speak up, Joe, can't hear you." 

                "I said," Joe repeated in a slightly louder but no less timid voice, "It's legal in only some circumstances." 

                "Meaning...?" 

                "Meaning you have to have parental permission, pal." 

                "Bloody hell," Tom whimpered, turning to face the ground and burying his head in his hands, "Nothing can _ever work_, Joe! _Nothing!"_

                Joe sat awkwardly, not sure what to say. 

                "Tom, that's no always true." 

                "It is!" 

                "You never know, your father may have nothing against you marrying someone-" 

                "Oh, he'd do anything just to spite me. Anything. The truth is I'll probably not talk to him again, now that I'm not seeing him this summer or anything." 

                "You might-" 

                "For Christ's sake, Joe, he's the one who sent me to the bloody orphanage!"

                There was a silence as they both considered this, then, "Well, Tom, the solution is simple.  You'll just have to wait until you're 18.  It's quite logical, actually, if you think about it.  The longer you wait, the more you can tell if you're really meant for eachother, you know?" 

                "Wait, wait," Tom whispered to himself, rolling to face the ceiling again, "I hate waiting." 

                "I can tell. But, hey-" Joe said brightly, glanced at the clock again, "-only 4 more hours you've got to wait until you see her again, so sleep up!" 

                "You too. G'night, Joe." 

                "'Night." 

**Ok, so it was pretty short. Sorry it was all dialouge, it's my fave thing to write. Chapter 4 coming up! Excuse all the mushy love, I'm usually not that kind of writer!**


End file.
